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The cruel beauty of a Shahtoosh shawl has become a shroud for the threatened antelope.
Ali Muhammad Sofi (65) was the proprietor of a weaving workshop of 10 Shahtoosh handlooms before the trade was declared forbidden by the J&K government, following a court judgment in a public interest litigation filed by the Wildlife Protection Society of India in 2000.
Now his son Altaf Ahmad sits hunched over a single hand loom, weaving Pashmina instead of Shahtoosh. Most Shahtoosh weavers now make shawls from Pashmina fine wool taken from the domestic goats from Kashmir's Ladakh region. But Ali and Altaf are not pleased with Pashmina weaving as it fetches them very little money. "It takes a week to weave a Pashmina shawl (two meters long) and it brings me just Rs 500. I could get more than Rs 1500 by weaving a Shahtoosh shawl in the same time and with the same effort", said Altaf.
For centuries, Kashmir has been the only place in the world where Shahtoosh is spun and later woven into a shawl. It is said that Shah Hamdan, a Muslim saint and social reformer, introduced Shahtoosh trade in this area 650 years ago. Now, nearly 50,000 Shahtoosh weavers have been fighting for survival since the government banned the 650-year-old trade, eight years ago. "I learned shawl-weaving from my father and then I taught my son. I had been spinning Shahtoosh for 45 years. But from the last eight years there is no work for us", said Ali. "Shahtoosh shawls were in demand in the international markets as well. These legendary shawls were prized possessions of the weavers and traders, but now there are few takers", he added.
Shahtoosh (also written Shatush) – a Persian word, which means 'the king of wool' is an ultra-fine wool with a highly prized velvety feel. This wool is derived from the Tibetan Antelope (chiru), which lives in altitudes of 15,000 to 20,000 feet. Nature has endowed it with a two-layered fur, which is essential for its survival.
Shahtoosh production and its trade was banned globally in 1975, after it was revealed that chirus were being killed for their wool. The Indian government followed suit in 1991, but J&K had exempted itself from the trade ban till 2000.
Weavers and traders in Kashmir still deny that chirus were being killed for its wool. According to them, the animals shed their wool during the end of winters and Tibetan nomads collect that wool to supply it to weavers in Kashmir. "There is no evidence to confirm that the animal is killed for its fur. When the animal is killed, the wool also loses its worth. So it's a myth that chirus were being killed to get Shahtoosh wool", said Dr Mubeen Shah, Chairman of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries. Shakeel Qalander, President, Federation Chamber of Industries, Kashmir, echoed, "The production and trade of Shahtoosh is being done for more than six centuries. If the animal was being killed, it would have vanished many centuries ago". However, specialists insist that after the animal is killed in the most brutal manner in the Tibetan plateau, the wool is smuggled into the Kashmir valley via Nepal. International wildlife organisations say that five chirus are shot and skinned to make one shawl. In a published report, George Schaller, biologist of the New York based Wildlife Conservation Society, had written, "We saw herdsmen plucking wool from the Tibetan antelope to sell to local dealers. In the courtyard of one such dealer were sacks of wool ready for smuggling to Nepal, and from there to Kashmir, where the wool is woven into scarves and shawls." It was estimated that there were 10,00,000 chirus in the Tibetan Plateau in the last century, and current estimates of the Chiru population ranges between 50,000 and 75,000.
Shahtoosh trade used to support about half a million Kashmiri traders and weavers before being banned. However, some weavers and traders carry on this business on the sly. A top government official seeking anonymity said that the Shahtoosh shawls are still being made, though in lesser numbers. And we did find a shawl workshop owner in Srinagar who admitted, "We used to weave more than 100 shawls before the trade was banned but now we make only 15 to 20. We are always fearful because, if trapped, we will be punished."
Clearly more needs to be done to ensure that chirus are not sacrificed at the altar of man's greed.
Haroon Reshi
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
Read these article :-
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The cruel beauty of a Shahtoosh shawl has become a shroud for the threatened antelope.
Ali Muhammad Sofi (65) was the proprietor of a weaving workshop of 10 Shahtoosh handlooms before the trade was declared forbidden by the J&K government, following a court judgment in a public interest litigation filed by the Wildlife Protection Society of India in 2000.Now his son Altaf Ahmad sits hunched over a single hand loom, weaving Pashmina instead of Shahtoosh. Most Shahtoosh weavers now make shawls from Pashmina fine wool taken from the domestic goats from Kashmir's Ladakh region. But Ali and Altaf are not pleased with Pashmina weaving as it fetches them very little money. "It takes a week to weave a Pashmina shawl (two meters long) and it brings me just Rs 500. I could get more than Rs 1500 by weaving a Shahtoosh shawl in the same time and with the same effort", said Altaf.
For centuries, Kashmir has been the only place in the world where Shahtoosh is spun and later woven into a shawl. It is said that Shah Hamdan, a Muslim saint and social reformer, introduced Shahtoosh trade in this area 650 years ago. Now, nearly 50,000 Shahtoosh weavers have been fighting for survival since the government banned the 650-year-old trade, eight years ago. "I learned shawl-weaving from my father and then I taught my son. I had been spinning Shahtoosh for 45 years. But from the last eight years there is no work for us", said Ali. "Shahtoosh shawls were in demand in the international markets as well. These legendary shawls were prized possessions of the weavers and traders, but now there are few takers", he added.
Shahtoosh (also written Shatush) – a Persian word, which means 'the king of wool' is an ultra-fine wool with a highly prized velvety feel. This wool is derived from the Tibetan Antelope (chiru), which lives in altitudes of 15,000 to 20,000 feet. Nature has endowed it with a two-layered fur, which is essential for its survival.
Shahtoosh production and its trade was banned globally in 1975, after it was revealed that chirus were being killed for their wool. The Indian government followed suit in 1991, but J&K had exempted itself from the trade ban till 2000.
Weavers and traders in Kashmir still deny that chirus were being killed for its wool. According to them, the animals shed their wool during the end of winters and Tibetan nomads collect that wool to supply it to weavers in Kashmir. "There is no evidence to confirm that the animal is killed for its fur. When the animal is killed, the wool also loses its worth. So it's a myth that chirus were being killed to get Shahtoosh wool", said Dr Mubeen Shah, Chairman of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries. Shakeel Qalander, President, Federation Chamber of Industries, Kashmir, echoed, "The production and trade of Shahtoosh is being done for more than six centuries. If the animal was being killed, it would have vanished many centuries ago". However, specialists insist that after the animal is killed in the most brutal manner in the Tibetan plateau, the wool is smuggled into the Kashmir valley via Nepal. International wildlife organisations say that five chirus are shot and skinned to make one shawl. In a published report, George Schaller, biologist of the New York based Wildlife Conservation Society, had written, "We saw herdsmen plucking wool from the Tibetan antelope to sell to local dealers. In the courtyard of one such dealer were sacks of wool ready for smuggling to Nepal, and from there to Kashmir, where the wool is woven into scarves and shawls." It was estimated that there were 10,00,000 chirus in the Tibetan Plateau in the last century, and current estimates of the Chiru population ranges between 50,000 and 75,000.
Shahtoosh trade used to support about half a million Kashmiri traders and weavers before being banned. However, some weavers and traders carry on this business on the sly. A top government official seeking anonymity said that the Shahtoosh shawls are still being made, though in lesser numbers. And we did find a shawl workshop owner in Srinagar who admitted, "We used to weave more than 100 shawls before the trade was banned but now we make only 15 to 20. We are always fearful because, if trapped, we will be punished."
Clearly more needs to be done to ensure that chirus are not sacrificed at the altar of man's greed.
Haroon Reshi
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
» IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
